Cell-based meat : hype or industry disruptor?

• Autor(a) principal: Heemsoth, André
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/42801
• topic: Cell-based meat; Cultivated meat; Cultured meat; Alternative proteins; Food technology; Consumer acceptance; Investments; Disruption; Scenarios; Carne baseada em células; Carne cultivada; Proteínas alternativas; Tecnologia alimentar; Aceitação do consumidor; Investimentos; Disrupção; Cenários; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Sociais::Economia e Gestão

Churchill (1931) said, “we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium” (para. 12). Global demand for protein is colliding with sustainability imperatives, making meat produced in vitro an emerging reality. This work investigates cell-based meat (CBM), grown from stem cells within nutrient-rich media, as a food solution and potential disruptor of the conventional meat industry. A mixed methods approach employed quantitative and qualitative approaches with a consumer survey, expert interviews, and review of the literature. Consumers demonstrated considerable acceptance towards CBM perceiving it as safe, healthy, and natural. However, misgivings persisted about the technology. Prior familiarity and emotional engagement with CBM emerged as determinants of acceptance. Consumers also exhibited strong willingness to pay a premium for CBM. Experts noted various hurdles faced by CBM, inter alia its technological immaturity, lack of mainstream acceptance, and ambiguous regulatory environments. Overall, CBM’s potential to emerge as a short or mid-term disruptor in the meat industry appeared improbable. Instead, we predicted that CBM will remain a niche product in the foreseeable future.